Rift Between Worlds
by Skienite
Summary: A continuation of the series. The wrath of Cyclonia is no more. The battle for the terras has been won, but the war continues on the far side of Atmos. As the Storm Hawks start to unravel the secrets of this mysterious land, Master Cyclonis is nowhere to be found and whispers of a greater threat linger dormant on the horizon.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

It started with a storm.

The skies of Atmos were alit with lightning and the earth was met with destruction at its mighty strike. Cyclones tore through the land and broke it to pieces until only the mantle remained; the sweltering depths of lava and rock that would eventually be known as the Wastelands. The little land that remained unharmed were the tops of mountains that peaked above the clouds.

The exposed molten rock of the mantle combined with the mysterious elements of the great storm created crystals with extraordinary properties. The terrain torn from the earth was pushed out to the brink of the storm, casting a shadow over the tattered land as great cliffs rose up above the clouds. What was beyond would forever be unknown to the rest of the world.

Until now.


	2. Chapter One

**_Chapter One_**

_**Squadron Log**_

_**Date:**_

_**Location: Far Side; Ported at the Abandoned Castle**_

_Sky Knight, Aerrow here. Why did I even write that? I think it's pretty clear who I am by now. This is probably thirteenth time I've written in this thing and Piper's complained about me plenty of times in here. Am I really that arrogant? I never thought so. At least, I try not to be. Speaking of Piper, she's been doing a lot better since we entered the far side. This Binding gift that she has – we're still a little unsure about it. From here on, things have fallen back to normal. Piper may seem to have control now, but we can't risk anything. _

_I keep mentioning this, but I still can't quite believe the war's over. We beat Cyclonia. I'm never going to get used to that. After seeing the future the Oracle showed me, I've been uneasy about the outcome of this war. I still can't believe the Dark Ace is gone too. I'm not happy he's dead – of course I'm not. This is the guy that murdered the old team – and I'm not happy he's dead. It shouldn't have ended like that. I don't know how I expected it to end, but I know it was nothing like this._

_Anyway, I've covered this before. Let's talk about the present. It's been…nearly a month since we crossed over. I think. As I've said, the Timepulse has been out of whack as it can't pick up the signal anymore. The radio's dead too. Finn and I have been up most of the night in my room trying to tune in to some of our side's stations – that was before it started picking up is some strange frequencies that set Radarr on edge. I want to find out how everyone's doing. Ravess and Carver are still out there and something tells me that just because Cyclonis has no use for them, they won't still be trouble. I respect Ravess for helping us out, but I don't trust her. There are still Talons, therefore there is still Cyclonia._

_We haven't found anyone yet. It's only been beasts, but we've been keeping exploration to the minimum until we can get our bearings. This castle is a pretty good landmark, so we're still lying low here. When we crossed over we weren't prepared for another adventure, obviously. We still need to figure out where our next lot of fuel is coming from, but the supplies can last for now._

* * *

Aerrow sighed and tossed the squadron log to one side – he had had enough. It had been Piper that suggested he should start writing in the squadron log. She noticed how reserved he had become since they crossed over and Aerrow knew full well why this was. He felt selfish for even thinking it, but the fact remained that he was growing bored very quickly. Without the constant threat of being ambushed by the Cyclonians he did not feel he was useful anymore. Sure, he would be leading his team across the far side of Atmos, but he did not know what to expect. None of them did. Any of them could take his place and still find themselves in a similar situation. He just had to trust his gut feeling that he was doing the right thing, despite his growing thirst for adventure.

This was the first real time they had to seriously unwind and recuperate after the battle and Aerrow did not know what to do with himself. He had melted down the armour of the Cyclonian switchblades and rebuilt all their skimmers – even installing various upgrades to his own ride, such as an improved afterburner. He had taken apart the converter of one of the switchblades to figure out how it worked. He knew for a fact that these drained the most crystal fuel in the entire Atmos, but the matrix was set up reasonably well. It took a lot of tinkering, but he was able to figure out how to combine this with his skimmer's afterburners to allow for a more efficient and faster way of burning his stash of nitro crystals. He needed more to keep up the speed boost for longer, but it was a fair trade considering the additional velocity it provided had an even less chance of blowing up in his face.

Finally coming to his senses, the Sky Knight got up from his chair. He took one last glance around his room and at Radarr who was still sleeping soundly at the end of his bed before exiting into the corridor. He followed the dimly lit hall straight to the bridge and the hatch immediately opened to allow his entrance.

The pilot gave out a yelp and spun around to face him. "Oh, it's you, Aerrow." The skinny green-skinned merb sighed with relief, flicking a four fingered hand through his jet black hair as he continued to study the view out of the front window. The sun could be seen breaking the horizon beyond the barrier cliffs and bathed the bridge in a pleasant orange glow, casting long shadows across the floor.

"You were expecting someone else?" Aerrow said in amusement, joining him at the bay of the ship. "Do you _ever_ sleep in?"

Stork considered for a moment. "_Someone?_ No, I was expecting _something_ else - something that could devour every single one of us and still have room for dessert. Something that-"

"Um…Stork, you feeling okay, buddy?" Aerrow interrupted with an awkward smile.

Stork sighed and turned away from the window, his attention averted to the still Timepulse ball. "We shouldn't keep her grounded much longer."

From experience, Aerrow knew right away Stork was referring to the Condor. He took Stork's advice into consideration and put his fingers to his chin. "Forget the ship for a second." he stated, glancing the pilot up and down. "When was the last time you slept?"

The merb ignored him entirely and placed one of his long pointy ears against the Timepulse ball, listening for any sign of movement.

"You know better than I do how hopeless it is to expect anything from that." Aerrow said, nodding at the device. "This conversation is starting to feel quite one-sided." Stork tapped on the glass which made little difference, but it certainly irritated the Sky Knight. "Fine," he respired "get the ship ready. We're setting off."

He could hear Stork celebrating under his breath as he wondered to the opposite side of the bridge.

"Shall I alert the team?" Stork called over his shoulder.

"We're not under attack." Aerrow shrugged, pacing towards the exit. "Besides, I need something to do." He left the bridge, crossed the corridor and headed straight for his wingman's bedroom door. He rapped on it five times. "Finn, get up. I need ya."

"_No, mom… I don't wanna go to school…"_

"Finn, wake up!" Aerrow yelled, hammering the door with a fist.

There was a loud crash from inside the room and the hatch opened to a very grumpy, very ragged Finn. "_What?_" He breathed, blowing his blond messy hair out of his face.

"We're gonna hit the sky. Can you prep the engine room?"

The fair haired sharpshooter groaned in frustration. "Why me?"

"Piper did it last time, but that's beside the point. You left your underwear under the boiler."

Finn's dark blue eyes suddenly lit up. "I forgot about those!" he grinned and pulled off his black t-shirt. "Man, they must be toasting by now." Letting the shirt drop to the floor, he shoved past the Sky Knight and pranced topless down the hall.

Aerrow raised an eyebrow. "Finn, we're not on vacation, you know."

"Yeah, yeah." The sharpshooter responded with a flick of a hand. "'Cause if we were on vacation I'd be up at the crack of dawn, no questions asked." He disappeared through the hatch at the end of the corridor.

At that precise moment, another hatch opened on the left side of the foredeck and the navigator emerged, fully dressed in her usual orange and navy uniform. "What's going on?"

"Piper," Aerrow greeted her "we're heading off. 'You up for breakfast?"

"Not yet," she shook her head "I'm heading down a deck."

"Alright." Aerrow replied as she strode swiftly past him and disappeared just as Finn had done. "I'll catch you later then."

Feeling somewhat stepped on, Aerrow made his way down to the kitchen alone, taking a short cut through the artillery room. As the kitchen's hatch opened, he was greeted by the pleasant smell of something cooking. "Junko?"

"Morning, Aerrow!" The wallop welcomed him. For some reason he was wearing a white chef's hat over his dark hair, Aerrow had no idea where it came from. "Eggs?"

"We don't have any eggs." Aerrow said, scratching the back of his head. He peered into the frying pan Junko had set up on the stove. "Those are definitely – where did you get those eggs?"

"Found 'em in the hangar."

"So the Condor lays eggs now?" Aerrow raised an eyebrow, utterly bewildered.

"Well, she's a she. Stork said so." Junko shrugged, taking the frying pan off the stove and used the spatula in his other hand to lift one of the sizzling eggs onto a plate.

"Thanks." Aerrow acknowledged, scooping the plate off the side. "The only logical explanation I can think of is that we have a stowaway hen on board – as ridiculous as that sounds." He concluded, backing up beside the counter. He rummaged in the draw behind his back and pulled a fork out of the mess of cutlery. He shut the draw with his side and plonked down at the small table, cutting into the white of the egg with the flat of his fork. "We're taking off, by the way."

"Really?" Junko responded, turning his head. "But we still haven't explored the fortress."

"Don't worry," Aerrow said between chewing "we'll be back." He swallowed. "Stork wants to give the ship air time."

"I was thinking…" Junko piped up, turning down the stove. "With all this open land, wouldn't something in the sky, er, stand out?"

"I've been thinking the exact same thing." Aerrow admitted. "We better rely on cloud cover in a pinch, but it means our flying time is limited." He jabbed the yolk of the egg with a point of his fork.

"Do you think we'll find anyone this time?" The walloped asked, slipping an egg onto his plate also.

"I sure hope so." He responded, leaning back in his chair. "We've barely scratched the surface of this place so far, there's no telling what we could find."

The kitchen door opened and Finn slumped into the room, stumbling over Aerrow's feet who was sat sideways in his chair – he did that a lot. Finn was now fully dressed, minus his armour just like the others, however was still half asleep. "I'm starving." He mumbled, yawning into his hand. He noticed the frying pan on the counter. "Hey, Junk gimme one o' those, will ya?"

"Hey, Finn, how's the engine room?"

The sharpshooter flashed Aerrow the thumbs up – his attention still on breakfast. Aerrow stuffed the rest of his breakfast in his mouth and tossed the plate in the sink, where it clattered down on the previous night's utensils. He was eager to get out on patrol.

"Where're you going?" Finn questioned, halting his actions completely to stop the young Sky Knight in his tracks as he made for the door. "You know you can't go out there without us." He informed him, as if he had read his mind.

Aerrow gave a shrug – unable to verbalise a reply with his mouth full.

"It _is_ a big deal, Aerrow." Finn responded, seeming to be interpreting what he was saying.

Aerrow dropped his hands to his sides and raised his eyebrows at him.

"Yes, circling the Condor counts too."

Aerrow groaned in irritation.

"You _are_ in charge." Finn smirked, "It's why you should follow your own rules."

Aerrow swallowed, "Then I hereby declare the rules void." He scoffed, twisting one side of his mouth into a sneaky grin.

He woke Radarr and then the two headed down to the hangar. When he reached the entrance, the Condor was already in the air. A cool breeze was tousling his red hair from the open hatch and the sunlight was so intense that everything outside looked white. Aerrow's skimmer was parked up in the centre of the hangar, prepped up and raring to go with a moment's notice. Radarr chirped happily, jumped from Aerrow's shoulders into his sidecar and waited patiently.

"A little early to be running off, don't you think?" A voice was heard in the direction of the runway. Aerrow squinted through the intense sunlight and put a hand up above his eyes. He made out Piper's silhouette as she paced towards him.

"You know me," Aerrow snickered, "adventure awaits." He gave a warm smile as Piper came into his sight. "Hey," he said sheepishly, putting his hand down.

"Hi," Piper responded, standing before him with a hand clutched around her arm.

"How're you feeling?" Aerrow asked out of nowhere, ruffling the back of his red hair as it blew in the breeze.

"I'm okay." Piper sighed. "Aerrow, do you think we'll find civilization? We've been here for a while now and I'm starting to fear that besides Cyclonis, we're all alone over here with no way back."

"Junko asked me the same question." Aerrow admitted, "To tell the truth, I have no idea." He added with a wide gesture of his hands. "I hope so – maybe we're just looking in all the wrong places."

"Maybe…" Piper repeated, although she did not seem that convinced as she lost eye contact.

"Come on," Aerrow pressed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's an _adventure_," he reminded her "it's good not knowing. We have an entire world right outside that's completely unexplored." He thrust his arm out and indicated at the open hatch.

Piper smiled at his enthusiasm. She brushed her windswept bangs behind an ear with her fingers. "I knew you'd say something like that."

"I knew it would make you smile." Aerrow responded with a tilt of his head. "Look, I won't be long." He assured her, mounting his skimmer. "Any problems, just call." With that last word, he started the ignition and drove his skimmer out into the open air.

Aerrow inhaled deeply as the wind battered against his face and let out a deep sigh. Flying made his troubles go away; it was his only escape – if only temporary. The battle with the Cyclonians had left him mentally exhausted and he was still recovering. It was not easy to cope when everyone was relying on you.

He pulled his skimmer higher into the air and looked out into the horizon, wondering what was out there. He removed his hands from the controls and leant his arms over the windshield. The landscape was dry, barren and flat. All Aerrow could see for miles were odd rock formations that curved towards the structure alit by crystal light, much like Atmosia's beacon tower. The sky was dull despite the sunshine and the air felt more humid than usual, like some form of pollution hung in the air. He circled the Condor four times before deciding what the odd scent was.

Radarr pined, which told Aerrow that he had noticed it too. "Something's definitely not right here." He agreed, fiddling with his skimmer's intercom. "Guys, we're getting a strong smell of ash out here. What's the deal?"

Stork's perturbed voice came through the intercom, _"I'm aware."_ He grumbled "_It's been clouding up the windscreen all night."_

"Where's it coming from?" Aerrow questioned.

"_I can think of a number of explanations, each more farfetched than the last."_ Stork responded and Aerrow knew one way to get the information he wanted out of him in this situation.

"Then give me the first."

"_There's been a fire, Aerrow."_

He raised an eyebrow, irritated at how Stork had outsmarted him. "I figured that much out for myself Stork, funny enough."

Radarr rolled his eyes and looked the other way as the two continued their conversation.

Aerrow heard the helmsman snicker over the radio and this did make him feel a little better knowing Stork was not freaking out. He shook his red hair out of his eyes that had swept up in the wind drag and looked over his shoulder at the Condor. "I need to know what could have caused it."

"_Well, whatever it was, it's not here now_." Stork pointed out, _"So, to put that in obnoxious teenager slang, the big thing that makes fire can move."_

Now it was Aerrow's turn to roll his eyes. "You know exactly what happened, don't you?"

"_Here, there be dragons."_ Stork recited, Aerrow could practically hear his eye twitching.

"Dragons?" He repeated, his emerald eyes scanned the open sky as he was met with a sudden rush of unease – with the lack of people around, these dragons would be hostile. "As in, plural?"

"_As in __**peril**__ if we crossed __**one**__."_ Stork stated dramatically. _"It's quite exciting."_

Aerrow's eyebrows had risen so high they had disappeared beneath his hair. "_Okay_…" He had finally realised why Stork did not sleep last night. "Stork, did you install that crystal locater into the Condor?" He asked, changing the subject.

"_Hardly. The Condor can now send out an energy pulse that can pick up crystals within a twenty mile radius, thanks to the locater crystal."_

"Good," Aerrow beamed "we're gonna use it to find some fuel."

"_What about supplies?"_ Junko asked, joining them. _"We have enough now, but what happens when we run out?"_

Aerrow sighed. He closed his eyes as he composed himself. He had not been able to sleep due to having been up all night worrying about this particular issue. "One problem at a time."

"_I stocked us up on merb cabbage…"_ Stork suggested upon the moment Aerrow thought he calmed himself.

Aerrow's eyes remained closed as he shook his head viciously. "Don't worry, I'll think of something." He finally exchanged concerned glances with Radarr before turning back to the sky. It was all he could say to stop the others worrying and even the merb cabbage would not last forever. "What are we gonna do, buddy?" He murmured to his co-pilot, his voice lost in the wind and to the others on the carrier. The Condor gave out a loud fizzling sound as the crystal scanner was activated and it attracted Aerrow's attention. A yellow ripple of energy crackled out around the ship. It passed through his skimmer and faded into nothing.

"_Um, Aerrow...I think you're going to want to see this."_

"Stork, what's the status?"

"_Just get back here, will you?"_

Aerrow did as he was asked and turned his skimmer around. He piloted it back towards the runway; folding in the wings a little early than what was recommended, so it fell several feet from the air and into the open hatch. The wheels span furiously, threatening to throw him off, but Aerrow was able to keep it on course as he came to a halt in the hangar bay. He slammed the button to close the hatch on his way out, then he and Radarr made for the bridge.

"Well?" He made his presence known, attracting the attention of the four other Storm Hawks grouped up around the helm at the front of the ship.

"Aerrow, look at this!" Piper said excitedly. She ran up to him and dragged him over by the forearm before he even had a chance to blink. Radarr scurried behind them and jumped up behind Aerrow's shoulders while he looked at the locater radar.

"This can't be right…" Aerrow pondered, glancing fleetingly out of the window at the barren land and back at the display. It indicated that the ground below was completely covered in crystals. The display showed thousands of bright pulsing dots closely knitted together all around the point of origin – which was the Condor. "No way…"

"_Yes_ way." Piper grinned. "Aerrow, do you have any idea what this means?"

"Um…more fuel for everyone?" He suggested.

"We've just discovered the roots of the crystal ores we find on our side." Piper elucidated, "All crystals must have originated from here. They have more advanced technology than us because this is where the crystals grow – the powerful ones must have shallower roots."

"That's great and everything," Finn piped up. He stepped backwards into the railing and jumped onto it. "But Cyclonis is here. With all these crystals lying around she could easily wipe out the entire Atmos – look what she almost did with the aurora stone."

"The aurora stone's useless to her now." Aerrow pointed out. "It doesn't matter how many crystals Cyclonis has, she needs the right crystal. A powerful one."

"Do you think that's why she came here?" Junko considered, "To look for a crystal?"

"The helix stone…" Piper gasped suddenly.

"Seriously?" Finn snorted, adjusting his grip around the railing. "Not that thing again; it doesn't exist."

"Not in our Atmos, maybe..." Aerrow cogitated; he began pacing the bridge in thought, Radarr still on his shoulders. "Guys, Piper may be on to something."

"Aerrow, you're not actually going along with this, are you?" Finn sneered, watching his progress around the room.

"We've crossed over into a world unknown." Aerrow reminded him. "I'm open to expanding my horizons. If I know Cyclonis like I think I do, then I know she's always going to be about crystals. Her entire family has been trying to take down Atmos with the Cyclonian army for years and that never worked out. She's definitely looking for a crystal to even the odds."

"Then we have to find it first." Piper demanded hurriedly.

"That would be the plan," Aerrow started, with a wave of a hand "but we have no evidence. We can't go about a mission on an assumption." He ran his fingers through his hair over and over as he went over what they could do. "The good news is, we have a lead and it will give us an idea at what to look out for. It gives us some context." He had messed up his hair significantly by now. "What do you think we should do, Hawks?"

Radarr glared at the team as they stood there in silence, attempting to coax them into responding to his master.

"Accept our fate?" Stork suggested, also noticing the silence.

"We need evidence." Finn said, wrapping his legs around the railing supports and crossed his arms. "I'm not wasting my time looking for a crystal that doesn't exist."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Finn." Piper contributed, "If we can prove the helix stone is real-"

"But where do we start?" Aerrow interjected. "None of those old myths ever gave us a location. They only spoke of its unbelievable power."

"The far side is known as the place of unspeakable power, if that's any help…" Junko reminded him.

"You're right; I just made that connection too." Aerrow admitted. He stopped in his tracks and leaned over the table. Radarr left his shoulders and stood next to him. "If the stone exists, it's gotta be here." He continued, drumming his fingers.

Finn respired in disagreement. "I gotta say, this is the most ridiculous dilemma you guys have come up with yet – counting the one with Cyclonis being a hologram – I mean, what were you thinking? Is this meeting almost over? I have arrows that need assembling."

Finn's statement went ignored by Aerrow. "As it's obvious that we won't ever need to worry about a fuel shortage, I say we head out as soon as possible." He concluded and then glanced out of the window, his back to the others. "Er, that way." He added, pointing into the distance. "As long as we can see the glow of the fortress on the horizon, we won't get lost."

Stork nodded from the helm and guided the ship to the direction he was pointing. There was not much else he could do if their course was straight ahead, so he wondered back to the centre of the bridge upon doing so.

"Good call, Aerrow." Piper applauded "Judging by the glow the tower's giving off, I'm guessing it's a really high grade solaris crystal that's admitting the light. If it is, what could it be for?"

Aerrow turned away from the window. "Beats me." He shrugged, pacing towards the railing. "What could the far side need with a big flashlight?"

Piper made her way over beside the helm and glanced at the glowing tower through the pane as it became further and further away. "How long do you think it's been here?"

Aerrow joined her at the window. "Longer than us, that's for sure. I've explored the ground floors with Radarr and there's no way up – everything is sealed off."

"Why not try blasting a way through?" Finn suggested, locking the pistol fingers at him from his perch on the railing.

"If you want an early burial, then go right ahead." Stork uttered forebodingly, silently slipping behind the sharpshooter. Finn jerked in surprise and almost lost balance and fell on his face. "Those ruins are ancient, man. There's no telling what's holding the fort upright. One wrong move could be lights out forevermore."

Aerrow blinked, at a total loss of words. "As I was saying," He said slowly, clearing his throat. "Our main goal right now is finding out what Cyclonis is up to. I know you're all excited about what the far side has to offer – I am too, but we can't focus on that yet." Aerrow sighed and crossed his arms. The team all watched him respectfully and Aerrow looked at each of the Storm Hawks in turn. Radarr tilted his head, evidently concerned about his sudden change of tone. Finn and Stork's narrowed eyes told him of their impatience, but neither one of them made any gesture to interrupt. Junko was perched on the edge of the seat around the table. His expression appeared far more content than the sharpshooter's and the helmsman's did. Piper – who was standing beside him – met his gaze with a smile and gave an encouraging nod. "I've been uncomfortable with our downtime decision." Aerrow admitted. "I'm aware we needed a breather after the battle, but it's only given Cyclonis a head start."

"We did what we had to, dude." Finn assured him. "Cyclonis trashed our gear and everything. Don't you think we deserved a _little_ break after Cyclonia? You can't keep beating yourself up about everything – sometimes it can't be helped."

"I know." Aerrow mumbled, loosening his collar with a forefinger. "I guess I've just been out of my comfort zone for too long." He stepped towards the centre of the bridge and placed a hand on the conference table, saying nothing for a few moments as he scratched his co-pilot behind the ears. "I've always liked this table." He stated suddenly. "It's round for a reason and it was only recently that I figured out why." Aerrow stood upright. "I was standing at the head of the council's briefing room with all the Sky Knights of the skies looking my way. Every terra in the Atmos was in my hands – it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. They put me on the spot like I was their superior – it felt…_wrong_." Aerrow paused and ran his hand across the round table. "This table signifies our equality. The six of us sit around this table and we make decisions as a team. There is no superiority."

"Whoa, I never thought of it like that." Finn said in realisation. He swung his legs and hopped off the railing. "I gotta admit; bowing to you was the weirdest thing ever."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Aerrow smirked "'Cause I felt like a landed fish."

"You may be a landed fish, dude." His wingman said, slapping a friendly hand on his shoulder, "But you're our landed fish."

"Ah, thanks, Finn." Aerrow recognized, staring at the floor in an attempt to keep a straight face.

"You did okay up there, Aerrow." Finn consoled, sliding his arm around the Sky Knight's shoulders. "But your days of hogging all the glory are over and it's back to the Storm Hawks. If you're feeling overwhelmed maybe I can take up leader for you." Finn winked at him.

"Don't be absurd." Aerrow tittered, shoving the blond away with his elbow. "If I'm putting anyone in charge, it's Piper – but that's not going to happen because like all of you, I have a role to play and I'm going to do it."

"_Please!"_ Finn pleaded, mockingly tugging on Aerrow's sleeve. "I'll be good."

Aerrow could no longer hold a straight face and openly burst into laughter. _"No!"_ He barked back in mock annoyance, grabbing Finn's outstretched arm and pulled him into a headlock. _"Who's in charge?"_

"You are." Finn murmured and the two exchanging glances, both in complete hysterics.

"What was that?" Aerrow demanded, threatening to mess up Finn's perfect hair with his free hand.

Stork cleared his throat. "When you both stop acting like children…"

Aerrow shot the helmsman a cheesy grin. "Sorry Stork, I'll be with you in a second." He inched his fist closer to Finn's hair.

"AERROW'S IN CHARGE! AERROW'S IN CHARGE!"

"That's better." He jested, releasing the sharpshooter. He could hear both Piper and Junko snickering quietly in the background and this lifted his spirits even more so. "If Finn steps out of line again you all have my permission to clip his hair – it _is_ getting rather long."

"Speak for yourself." Finn grumbled nudging Aerrow with an elbow as he folded his arms.

Aerrow's hand automatically went for his own hair and brushed it over his green eyes. He noticed the extra length and quickly glanced at his reflection in the Condor's windscreen. A tall, wiry sixteen-year-old gazed back at him with tousled red hair that stuck up at odd angles and shadowed his green eyes. It was not exactly tidy – not due to lack of trying – but he was fond of it. "Alright everyone, let's run through everything we know about this place so far."

"We're trapped in a barren wasteland filled with dangerous beasts, what else is there to know?" Stork murmured.

"The endless caverns route through here." Piper spoke up. "And we've already had a glimpse at the type of beasts that live underwater."

"Didn't that douche Domiwick get lost in those?" Finn reminded them. "He could have made it out."

Aerrow scratched his temple. "I highly doubt it. We were forced to seal him in with those lake beasts and all he had was a breather." He winced, "I think Domiwick's done for."

"'Not our fault." Finn grunted. "We gave him a chance to come back and he didn't."

"Then there's the crystal locator results." Junko added, "This area hasn't been mined like, at all."

"There are no terras." Aerrow spoke up, "From what I've seen from the exosphere it looks like this land just keeps on going until it hits water. There's no telling what lies beyond that."

"So, you're saying we're on a floating rock?" Junko observed, his long ears tilting to one side. "That's impossible."

The carrier pilot gave out a small shriek from the front of the ship. "No, Aerrow's right." Stork gulped; his quavering voice attracted everyone's attention to the view outside. "It's entirely possible." He pointed a clammy green finger in disbelief.

The Condor passed over a barricade of razor-sharp rocks and a blast of water splashed up and drenched the bow of the airship. The expanse ahead was as grey as the skies of Terra Deep – an endless body of water that disappeared into the distance. A squall of storm clouds approached from beyond and blocked the sun from sight. The world around them suddenly seemed very dark and more mysterious than ever.

"Stork, turn to starboard!" Aerrow ordered, pointing out into the sky from beside the helm. He decided that the best course of action they should take was to fully explore this area before heading out over the waves. "Let's scout the coast."

"Right." The merb obeyed.

"Stay low. We can use the rocks as cover – I'm not taking any chances."

"Did any of you see that?" Finn spoke up. Aerrow swivelled around to find him with his hands pressed against the glass. He looked rather startled. "There's something out there."

"I didn't see anything." Junko shrugged, joining him. "It could've been a shadow."

Finn shook his head sternly. "That was no shadow."

Aerrow casted an eye over the rocky ground outside; he could not see anything out there. "Stork, anything on the-"

"The scanner's down, remember?"

"Right," Aerrow said in realisation "then it's up to us." He strode back through the bridge and shot the blond sharpshooter a look on his way to the hatch. "Finn, you and I are gonna scout ahead."

"Aerrow, have you lost your mind?" Piper yelped, charging in his path. "It could be dangerous!"

Aerrow's brow furrowed. He attempted to side-step her, but Piper mimicked his action, her amber eyes filled with concern. He sighed. "It's a risk I'm going to have to take. I trust Finn's judgement, we can't ignore this."

"I'm with Aerrow on this one, Piper." Finn contributed. "We've got no other choice."

"Fine." Piper huffed, stamping her foot. "You guys better make it back."

"I always do." Aerrow grinned. "C'mon, Radarr." He called with a jerk of his head. "I'll need my co-pilot with me."

Radarr chirped loudly, his ears perking up and bounded over to Aerrow. The duo followed Finn out of the bridge.

"Finn, what exactly did you see?" Aerrow asked, catching up to him half way down the corridor. "What did it look like?"

"Something with wings."

"A dragon?"

Finn shook his head, concentrating on his route to the hangar. "Nah, the flight pattern was all wrong."

Aerrow raised an eyebrow at him, Radarr pulled a similar expression. "What do _you_ know about flight patterns?"

"I know enough to know it was no dragon, dude."

"A skimmer?" Aerrow asked hopefully.

Finn snorted in response. "Don't be stupid."

"Alright," Aerrow concluded, stopping in his tracks at the foot of his bedroom door. "Gear up and I'll meet you back here in five."

Finn saluted and disappeared into the next room. Aerrow followed Radarr into his quarters, hit the lights and strut over to the closet in the far corner of his room. He hastily pulled back the doors, revealing the full length mirror on the inside and started attaching pieces of armour onto his uniform. He could hear Radarr in the background retrieving his energy blades from the wall and place them ready on the edge of his bed, as normal.

Having covered his entire upper body, Aerrow was struggling with clipping a piece to his left knee. He hopped around on one foot, eagerly trying to get it to stay put until he realised he was forcing it on the wrong leg. He attempted to correct his mistake but smacked his head against the closet door.

After a few more moments of stumbling around gearing up, Aerrow was finally in full armour. He stepped over to his bed, tilting his head at Radarr in appreciation for retrieving his weapons and stored them behind his back. "Let's move."

Radarr nodded in agreement and the pair exited the room to find Finn, fully armoured, lent beside his door fiddling with the trigger of his energy crossbow.

"You took your sweet time."

"Sorry." Aerrow said shortly, leading the others towards the end of the corridor. "You two need to keep a low profile. We _could_ be flying right into an ambush."

The three of them entered the hatch and stopped on the large metal platform. Finn hit the switch that allowed the lift that ran on a roller to lower. "Got it, boss."

"Don't call me that." Aerrow snapped. He glared at his wingman as the door to the lower deck rose into view.

"Captain?"

"Nope."

"Chief?"

"Don't go there."

"Commander?"

"No way, I'm no Talon!"

"Colonel?"

Aerrow's frown intensified in disgust. "Ew." The three Storm Hawks stepped from the platform and walked down the corridor, toward the hatch and it immediately opened to allow their entrance into the hangar. "How about we just stick with 'Aerrow'?"

"Aerrow's good. I like Aerrow." Finn grinned; mounting his gold streamed Air Skimmer III and revved the engine to life.

"Time to focus." Aerrow instructed; him and Radarr also getting in position on their ride. "We can't afford to mess this up."

"Gotcha, dude." Finn replied shortly, flashing the pistol fingers before returning his hands to the controls.

Aerrow watched as the hatch slowly opened, revealing the runway and the hazy atmosphere beyond. He gave a quick nod of understanding to his co-pilot before leading the way into the sky, motorbike transforming itself into a biplane on the edge of the runway. The wind around the body of water was harsh and any sound generated by his skimmer was sucked backwards in the gale. All he could hear was the wind crashing in his ears and his red hair furiously beating the side of his face.

The two skimmers dropped down towards the shadow of the Condor on the soaking rocks below and skimmed over the earth. They edged ahead of the carrier and Aerrow squinted into the many crevasses of the rocks surrounding them as they passed overhead. The strong tide had battered away at the coast and many openings had been created. He did not feel safe in this situation knowing anything could be lurking just out of sight. He could barely hear Piper's voice from his skimmer's intercom over the squall.

"_How's it looking out there?"_

"Nothing much to report." Aerrow responded quietly, getting a closer look into one of the larger caves. "We'll keep looking."

"_Uh, Aerrow…"_ Finn spoke up. _"I've got something here and I don't think you're gonna like it."_

Aerrow zipped over to where Finn's skimmer was hovering a little ahead to find his wingman staring down at a large break in the rock face. This was not a natural break; this crevice had been created by something large and destructive crashing into it. Something that was still present in the crater and it left scorch marks on the rocks where it was struck down.

"Dude, this is the thing I saw back on the ship." Finn said to Aerrow hesitantly, shooting the Sky Knight a look of anxiety. "I think it's a phoenix."

Aerrow could not avert his gaze from the unmoving creature before him. Its flames had gone out, exposing large golden feathers tangled in bright red blood. Its talons were sprawled beneath its tattered wings, ripped and bloody. He felt his heart break for it.

Aerrow shakily activated his skimmer's intercom. "Stork, stop the ship. Don't come any closer."

"_Aerrow, what is it? Are you okay?"_ Piper's voice came in response.

"I'm fine." Aerrow assured her. "We're both fine. We've got a phoenix here and it's been attacked. I think it's dying."

"'_Think whatever did it is still around?"_

"Yes." Aerrow confirmed. "Keep your distance. I'm certain this bird was a decoy to lure us out here. We're being followed."

Finn started to look uneasy. His gaze darted in various directions, checking for any sign of an ambush. "If it did _that_ to a _phoenix_, I don't wanna know what it's going to do to _us_."

"_Aerrow, do you know what happens to a phoenix when it dies?"_

"Yes, Piper." Aerrow grunted, fleeting his gaze over the rocks just as Finn was doing, desperately trying to remain calm. "I know what happens."

"_What __**does**__ happen?"_ Junko spoke up, _"Something bad? Does it explode?"_

"Ah, no…" Aerrow hesitated, trying to keep his focus. He had not realised it, but his left hand was reaching behind his back for the handle of his energy blade while his right remained on the skimmer controls. "Look, can you guys keep the com line clear for a sec?"

Both Piper and Junko uttered out a hushed apology and the communicator went silent. Aerrow and Finn circled the downed phoenix, the tips of their fingers itching for their weapons.

"Radarr, hear anything?" Aerrow whispered, flicking his gaze to his furry co-pilot. The blue creature in question pricked his ears up and angled them in various poses before going still, his left ear bent inwards while his right stuck out to the side. Aerrow raised his eyebrows. "And what does _that_ mean? You know I can't understand you when you do that. Show me where."

Radarr pulled a face which could only be described as the look of pure irritation and pointed both his stubby four fingered hands over to the right of the skimmer.

"Finn, three o'clock!" Aerrow shouted.

The crossbow shot out of the front of Finn's skimmer. The marksman flew upwards and hovered overhead, crouched at the ready. "I've got no target."

"Keep looking." Aerrow ordered, scanning the coastline. "We are not alone."

"_Do you guys need backup?"_ Piper intruded.

"No!" Aerrow snapped, a little ahead of himself. "I can't risk calling a full party out here. Stay at your posts."

"I got your back, dude." Finn assured him, flashing Aerrow the thumbs up as he adjusted his aim in the viewfinder. Aerrow was thankful his wingman had picked up on how much pressure he was under. One wrong move could lead to disaster and he never would be able to forgive himself. Finn's assurance told him he was trusted and this gave him the confidence to continue forwarding his plan.

"Stay out of sight and we'll hail you when we need pickup."

"_We're all doomed."_

"No, we're not, Stork." Aerrow frowned. "I'll make sure of that." His eyes darted to the phoenix suddenly as it started collapsing into a pile of ash.

"Well, that bird is gone." Finn pointed out, also noticing its death transformation.

"Not quite." Aerrow corrected him, retrieving a blade from behind his back and stepped up onto the upper left wing of his skimmer. "Radarr, take over." His co-pilot yapped in understanding and took his position in the pilot's seat. "Take us as low as you can."

The skimmer soared down towards the cliffs and Aerrow jumped off, lighting his blade in a flame of azure.

"Aerrow, what are you doing?" Finn called down to him, still scanning the area for a target.

He did not answer him, but pointed his blade at the nearest tunnel where the glow was obstructed by a figure standing just inside the shadows a few feet in front of him, eyes gleaming indigo.

"Greetings, Sky Knight."

Aerrow took a step backwards, brandishing his alit blade defensively. "Nightcrawler!"

"Indeed." The figure smiled. Its face was hidden beneath a hood, but indigo energy could be seen escaping between its teeth. The nightcrawler raised its right arm and its wrist-mounted pistol sprung to life. "The Storm Hawks do not belong here."

Aerrow held out his empty hand over his shoulder, fingers flaunted apart in a signal for his marksman to hold his fire. "Look, I don't want to fight you." He said, lowering his weapon. "Could you tell us what Cyclonis is doing here?"

The nightcrawler remained still, its pistol still pointing directly at Aerrow. "It is none of our concern. We have our own reasons for disposing of phoenixes." Aerrow felt an odd tingle down his spine at the mention of 'we' and it told him that he was the target of more than one pistol. "We cannot let you interfere."

"Nice chatting with ya." Aerrow said hesitantly. He jumped out of the line of fire and sprinted the opposite direction, many blasts of red energy fizzling in his direction. He thrust up a fist to signal Finn's cover fire and caught his skimmer's wing in the same hand as it swooped over him. Aerrow pulled himself back into his skimmer's seat, his pulse beating in his ears. He presented Radarr with a guilty smile. "That went well."

Radarr buried his face in his palms and shook his head in dismay.

"So, we got nightcrawlers!" Finn exclaimed as he flew up next to Aerrow's skimmer, shooting ice bolts down at the raid from above. "It was really stupid of you to go down there."

"I know." Aerrow responded shortly. "Less talking, more attacking!"

"Where's Piper and her solaris crystal when you need her?"

"Uh, Finn we lost that crystal at the bottom of Aquinos Lake."

"Then you need to think of something else." Finn insisted, dodging around energy blasts in a neat aileron roll. He had gotten a lot better at flying thanks to the little instruction he received from Aerrow, but refrained from the stunts if he could help it – he still was not that great at it and was not about to go at it for fun.

Aerrow glanced around at the pile of ash that was once the downed phoenix. "I already have."

Finn had spotted what was in Aerrow's line of sight. "You're not seriously gonna-"

"The nightcrawlers are after it too!" Aerrow interrupted, diving suddenly under a stream of red energy blasts. "But uh, they want us dead first."

"Great, just what we needed. Whatever you're gonna do, do it now and I'll cover you." Finn said without protest, locking an arrow into his skimmer's crossbow. Aerrow was thankful for his cooperation; he did not make the sharpshooter his wingman for nothing, after all.

Pulling his skimmer into a dive, Aerrow noticed the hooded nightcrawlers were also grouping around the remains of the great fire bird, waiting for the fire blasting phoenix crystal to materialise out of the ashes. He _had_ to make sure he nabbed it before they did; the crystal may be their only chance to gain the upper hand. The Storm Hawks had never defeated the nightcrawlers in hand-to-hand combat before and he was well wary of this. They were trained assassins. Aerrow was sure he could take on at least two of them, but twenty? There was no way he was going to risk it. He circled the crater a few more times, scanning the rocks for any sign of activity, his sight wavering completely from Radarr who was desperately trying to get his attention.

It happened in an explosion of colour. A clammy taloned hand was pressed around his neck and the Sky Knight was tackled from his skimmer, the sheer force knocked the wind right out of him. Somehow he still managed to retain consciousness and could hear Finn yelling as the two dropped out of the sky. Aerrow tightened his grip around his blade, blinded by the impact he swiped at his attacker but none of his lashes hit their mark. They seemed to be protected by a mysterious crystal shield that his blade just would not penetrate. It crackled against ripples of purple energy.

Aerrow grabbed at the talons around his neck and prised them away, using the force of the fall; he flipped the nightcrawler over himself with all the strength he could muster. The cloaked figure took most of the impact of the plummet, but Aerrow still landed roughly. He felt a twinge of pain through his feet and ankles as he stood over the nightcrawler with his weapon raised. He took great care to make sure the hurt did not show on his face, he could not show weakness. He glared down into those glowing purple eyes with sheer dislike, the look of unspeakable delight upon its bandaged face.

"I'm not going down that easily." Aerrow growled darkly, lowering his lit blade closer towards the enemy's throat. "Tell me where Cyclonis is."

"Use of us, the witch has not." The nightcrawler spoke, its gagged teeth drawn together in the same look of dislike.

"Do you know where she's hiding?" Aerrow barked. He drew his unused blade in a crackle of blue light. "I'm not playing around."

"Sky Knight, you are in no such position to make demands." The nightcrawler laughed, pushing his blade away with a swoop of a wrist. Aerrow drew back in alarm, holding out both his glowing blades defensively. "She has no role in what is to come."

Aerrow could not believe what he was hearing. "So, you're not aligned with Cyclonis?"

"Very good." The nightcrawler smirked, rising to its feet, pistol directed right at the Sky Knight, preventing him any means of attack. "She is but a child, much like you. There are powers at work you have no hope to comprehend." Lightning hit the waves and Aerrow caught sight of a large group of nightcrawlers hunched over on the rocks surrounding the speaker, empty eyes of glowing indigo staring him down. He took a step backwards and stumbled over a jutting stone at his heels. "We own this land and you are trespassing." The nightcrawler declared as Aerrow fell backwards into the rocks, dropping his blades on the ground in the process. His right ankle had buckled under his weight and he was sure it was sprained. The other wasn't as damaged but still stung. Aerrow's sight had not hindered from the nightcrawlers surrounding him, but he realised where he had fallen.

A figure emerged out of the darkness, he recognised as Finn whose arms were held behind his back by another hooded demon. "I'm sorry Aerrow, they had me outnumbered." He tried to explain as briefly as he could, his lip was bleeding down his neck and into his collar.

He franticly felt around in the ash behind him as indiscreetly as he dared, with Finn's life also in the picture, he needed to take extra precautions. He had lost the feeling in his right foot. His breath came in short quick gasps and the cold harsh wind was prickling the back of his sweaty neck.

The nightcrawler that had tackled him from his skimmer – that Aerrow assumed was the leader of this small clan – spoke in a harsh tone. "The redhead dies first."

"NO!" Finn shouted, struggling against the nightcrawler that had him constrained, but the hooded figure's strength was far too great for him to match. It did not stop him trying, however. "GETOFFAME!"

Aerrow flinched as Finn's upper arm was twisted behind his back and he screamed in pain, unable to move without the risk of breakage. The lead nightcrawler that had his weapon still pointing at Aerrow watched this dispute over his shoulder and it gave Aerrow the advantage he needed to move onto step two of his not-so-brilliant plan. His hands clasped around something sleek and warm to his touch through the ashes of the firebird.

"Dude," Finn hissed between his teeth in a feeble attempt to get Aerrow's attention through his pain. His green eyes met with his blue and the sharpshooter jerked his head in the direction of the sky.

He looked and what he saw both shocked and infuriated him. His own skimmer approached through the haze, Radarr at the controls and Piper standing upon its wings, a storm of an expression resided on her face, her fists clenched in determination, one around a glowing green crystal. This was not part of his plan. As usual, Piper had added too many variables for him to keep track of.

"PIPER, NO!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He knew what she was planning to do and he did not like it at all.

"INFERNO'S BLAZE!" He heard her yell at the crystal in her outstretched hand as the skimmer swooped overhead.

The sensation he felt was as if he had been struck in the chest by the nose of a switchblade and it knocked the wind right out of him for the second time. The crystal in Aerrow's own hand scorched through his glove and burned his fingers. He tried to drop it, but his hand refused to open. He looked down and from what he could tell through his blurring vision, it was on fire. _He_ was on fire. The Binding was not just affecting him; it was affecting the phoenix crystal in his shaking grip. Flames crawled up Aerrow's arms, the Binding shielding his flesh from harm, but the pain was unbearable. He would have been yelling, but had no air left in his lungs to do so. He fell hard on his elbows. He could not control it. The phoenix crystal was too unstable and seemed to have a mind of its own.

Aerrow furiously tried to get to his feet, but a sharp pain down his spine was telling him otherwise. His hand clutching the crystal smacked down onto the ground and it was within that moment he realised what was happening. The crystal was giving him wings. Wings formed entirely of phoenix flame and Piper's Binding was the only thing that protected him from burning to death.

"Aerrow, I didn't know! I'm so sorry!" That was her. He felt Piper's gentle touch on his shoulder. His head hit the rocks and everything went black.


	3. Chapter Two

**_Chapter Two_**

"What did you think you were doing?!" Finn shouted, hurrying over to the huge scorch mark on the uneven ground, massaging his shoulder as he did so. "He gave you orders to stay on the ship, Piper!"

She wished Finn would quit rubbing it in. "I know." She said simply, kneeling beside Aerrow's unmoving form sprawled amongst the ash as the two other Storm Hawks approached. Piper spared a glance at the phoenix crystal that she had kicked out of the Sky Knight's hand only moments ago before returning her gaze to him.

"He knew what he was doing!" Finn continued, crouching at his other side and Radarr jumped up behind his shoulders. "Why didn't you trust him?"

Piper was fuming, but she was not angry at Finn, she was angry with herself. "I was worried, okay?!" She rounded on him, "And now he's hurt and it's my fault."

Finn made to move Aerrow onto his front, but the Sky Knight groaned and did so himself, breathing heavily. "Ow."

"Are you okay?" Piper asked hurriedly, "I'm really sorry. I didn't think it would-"

He shakily waved a hand in her direction to silence her. "I'm fine; j-just…give me a minute."

Radarr whined at his best friend and scurried over Finn's shoulders so that Aerrow could stroke the top of his head.

Piper watched him lie there feeling terrible. There was still a lot she needed to learn about the Binding and from what she had just witnessed, some crystals acted on their own accord. If she'd known he had been after the phoenix crystal to scare away the nightcrawlers, would she have gone through with it? Piper hated not knowing.

"We need…" Aerrow wheezed, attempting to sit upright. Finn got there first and supported him. "We need to get out of here." He flinched and his sight wavered to his ankle.

"Can you even stand?" Finn inquired, glancing his leader up and down.

Aerrow shook his head. He looked like he was in so much pain; Piper could swear she felt her heart drop into her gut with guilt.

"Piper, help me move him." Finn requested shortly, laying one of Aerrow's limp arms over his shoulders. She leapt to attention, taking his right arm and did the same. The pair lifted the Sky Knight to his feet with Radarr overseeing the entire ordeal. "Stay with us, dude." The wingman urged, giving him a nudge as his head lowered, red hair falling in front of his eyes.

Aerrow breathed roughly through his teeth to let them know he was still conscious, if only barely. His feet brushed against the floor, completely useless. It was the combined effort of Finn and Piper that kept him standing.

Piper placed a finger to her ear and contacted the Condor through her earpiece. "Stork, you're clear to bring over the ship. Aerrow's hurt and we need to get him checked over."

"I'm fine." He insisted with a tilt of his head. His eyes were closed, evidently exhausted. The Binding had drained him instead of her. "H-help Finn."

"I'm good, dude." Finn assured him, attempting to meet Aerrow's eyes under the mess of red hair. "Sure, the nightcrawlers roughed me up a little, but it was nothing the Finnster couldn't handle."

Piper looked to the sky as the great carrier ship loomed overhead. "Junko, round up the skimmers and the weapons. I need to take Finn and Aerrow to the med bay for a patch up."

"I said I was fine, Piper." Finn insisted. He shot her an annoyed scowl. "Aerrow's the one that needs the help."

Aerrow shook his head. "N-no."

Piper sighed in annoyance. "You two are both as bad as each other. Finn, the cut on your lip is going to need stitches and Aerrow;" she shifted his arm around her shoulders and he screwed his face up in agony "need I say more?"

"And whose fault's that?" Finn said spitefully.

Aerrow gritted his teeth. "Finn…"

She groaned. "I know I messed up. Let me fix this."

"You wouldn't need to fix _anything_ if you just did what he told you to do!"

"Well, maybe Aerrow would not have needed saving if _you_ were a better wingman!"

"Piper…" Aerrow warned, barely surpassing a mumble.

"If you did something about the navigation, _navigator_, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!"

"Guys!" Aerrow shouted. His voice came out considerably hoarse. "Cut it out! Th-that's an order!"

The squabbling squad members glanced down at their friend with ashamed faces. Piper could not explain it, something about the way Aerrow had spoken unnerved her. He sounded almost…angry. He was angry at her, she knew it. Finn was right, she had been no help at all since they crossed over to the far side and she hated herself for it. The least she could do was make sure she mended the damage she had caused.

"C'mon." She instructed, shifting Aerrow's weight on her shoulders. She and Finn began carrying him towards the Condor's open hatch with Radarr at their heels.

They crossed paths with Junko half way up the ramp; he looked to them with concern as they passed by. "Need some help?"

"It's okay." She smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but the guys need medical attention. Just get the skimmers inside and we'll leave as soon as possible. Radarr, do you think you could give him a hand?"

The furry creature saluted and zipped off after the wallop.

At the top of the ramp, the trio exited the crate storage room and entered the first door on the left, the medical room. It was fairly bright in this room, but the light was obstructed by the blinds covering the large rounded window on the back wall. Below the window, a long counter had been installed with a sink in the middle and plenty of storage space for supplies. Two beds were against the left wall. Piper and Finn pulled Aerrow over to the one nearest the door and carefully supported his weight between them as they laid him on the sheets with Finn lifting his legs up over it.

Aerrow had lost consciousness on the journey to the ship, which was not a good sign. Piper perched on the edge of the bed and placed her hands on his armoured shoulders, shaking him. "Aerrow, you need to stay awake."

She watched his green eyes flicker open beneath his messy red hair and study her with difficulty. "Piper…?" He murmured, completely out of it.

She pressed her hand up against his forehead. He was extremely warm. "Hey," She smiled down at him. "We'll get you fixed up."

"Where's…where's Finn?" He moaned, attempting to sit upright, but was held down by Piper.

"I'm right here, dude." Finn assured him, standing with his arms crossed on the opposite side of the bed. The blood that had been dribbling down his neck from the gash on his lip had dried up, yet it was still bleeding.

"Help Finn." He insisted.

"Fine." Piper frowned, unwilling to disobey the Sky Knight. Aerrow clearly was not going to accept any medical attention until the other had been taken care of. She stood up and pointed to the empty bed beside her. "Finn, sit down."

"Best order I've received all day." He said in amusement, pacing over to where Piper was pointing and plonked down onto the mattress. "Can you fix the handsome face?"

Piper bit her lip. "It might leave a scar."

"What?"

She heard Aerrow groan behind her, so she turned and found him sitting upright. She made to stop him, but he held out his singed gloved hand to signal off her intrusion. The Sky Knight directed his next look to Finn. "Sorry I put you through that." He croaked. "I should've thought it through."

Finn blew roughly between his lips to express his lack of concern, firing blood everywhere in the process. "'Not your fault. 'Sides, a scar would be cool."

"How're you feeling, Aerrow?" Piper asked him, rummaging in the draws for supplies to clean Finn's wound.

"Fine." He insisted. Finn leant forward and poked Aerrow's arm. "GAH!"

"'You sure about that?" He grinned smugly, only raising the left corner of his mouth as it would not disturb the cut on his lip.

"Leave him alone, Finn." Piper tittered as Aerrow rubbed his forearm, falling back into the pillow, groaning. "He's been through enough as it is."

She walked around the bed and knelt before Finn and dabbed at his bloody cut with a cloth she had damped at the sink. "What happened to _you?_" She winced, studying the cut. It was shallow, but split a large portion of the right side of his bottom lip in a jagged diagonal slash.

Finn shrugged. "I was clobbered by a nightcrawler – OW! Piper, not so hard!"

Piper had a small sapphire crystal clutched in her other hand and she tapped it against the wound, making his flesh go numb.

"Wat wus dat, a pawaliser?"

"Yep." She nodded, pushing the cloth into his hand. "Here, hold this against it." She wondered back over to the counter to prepare a needle.

Finn did as he was asked and Piper could feel both of the boys' eyes on her as she worked. "Did you manage to extract any information from the nightcrawlers?"

Finn gave out a grunt of disavowal. "Aewuw mighuve dow."

The other's silence told her he was considering something. She glanced at the Sky Knight over her shoulder to find him led back in the pillow with his arms crossed, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Aerrow?"

He did not respond right away and silence lingered for a few moments. Piper would have given anything to know what he was thinking right now, he was awfully still.

"This doesn't add up." He spoke, more to himself than either of them. It always fascinated her when Aerrow got like this; he was far more insightful than she normally gave him credit for. She still did not quite have him figured out.

"What doesn't?" She asked, returning to her work.

"How could they know?" Aerrow pondered, still leaving her with cryptic answers. He was always the quiet one of the trio, only really taking charge when she and Finn got into a fight to smooth things over. Upon gaining the title of Sky Knight, she had hoped he would be more open with her.

Piper sighed in irritation. She slammed down the needle onto the worktop and turned to glower at him. "Aerrow, I need to know what's going on."

"I'm thinking, okay?" He retorted, not meeting her gaze.

"Can we talk it over?" His lack of co-operation was upsetting her.

Aerrow met her eye, clearly picking up on the distressed tone of her voice. "They were different than the nightcrawlers on the other side." He elucidated, sitting upright as the two edged closer to him with interest. "My blades couldn't make a dent in their armour. They're protected by some kind of unknown crystal."

"Are you sure it wasn't a shielding crystal?" Piper cut in, sliding into a seat next to Finn on the edge of the bed.

He gave a nod. "Positive. I've never seen anything like it. The one that attacked me spoke as if they've been here all this time, yet they knew who we were. It doesn't add up."

"Wait, are you saying that the nightcrawlers are from the far side?" Piper gasped.

Aerrow shrugged. "It seems so, but then it means that the gateway has been opened before if they've crossed over and teamed up with Cyclonis."

"That's the answer then." She smiled, believing she had Aerrow's dilemma worked out. "They knew about us because of Cyclonis."

Aerrow shook his head. "They weren't working for Cyclonis."

"What?" She and Finn said in union. The two exchanged glances.

"They told me we were trespassing." Aerrow explained, talking with his hands, like he usually did. Piper was glad to see he was still so animated after what had happened. "We must've crossed over into a safe zone. That solaris tower has to be the only defence against the nightcrawlers. It proves this place is inhabited. If we can somehow locate where they're hiding, we'll be able to formulate a strategy as to how we're going to track Cyclonis."

There was a great rumble as the Condor's engine lurched to life. Piper quickly glanced out of the gap in the blinds to see the ship rising. The landing gear folded into the hull with a loud mechanical creak.

"And ow egsactly ahwe gonna inedem?" Finn garbled through the cloth pressed to his lip.

Aerrow went silent as he deliberated. "I have no idea." His sight wavered in her direction. "Piper?"

She hated having to let him down yet again. "Sorry, Aerrow." She turned to the sharpshooter. "Finn, any ideas?"

He looked blank for a few moments before lifting the cloth from his cut. "Look?" Satisfied with his suggestion, he pressed the damp material back against his lip.

Aerrow smirked at this obvious proposal. "Sounds like a plan. I say we keep going." He rubbed his hands together. "Piper, can you cloak the ship?"

He was smiling at her, his eyes shining with confidence. Perhaps he was not holding anything against her, after all. She knew he still believed in her, it was foolish of her to ever think otherwise. "That, I can do." Piper confirmed. "But I'm taking care of you two first."

Her earpiece buzzed to life as Stork contacted her from the bridge. _"Continuing course?"_

Piper placed two fingers to her ear. "Yeah, Aerrow's just given the go-ahead. Be sure to use the cloud cover and be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Junko and Radarr will have to be our hawk-eyes until Finn is back in the picture." She stood up and made her way back towards the counter to retrieve the needle. "I hope we don't make a habit of this."

Finn let out a murmur of agreement as the navigator knelt before him. "Ee gentle."

There was silence as Piper began suturing Finn's wound. The boys clearly assumed the slightest distraction would throw off her concentration.

"How's that feel?" She asked when she had finished, admiring her handiwork. She had done a decent job, considering her lack of experience in this area. Aerrow was the Storm Hawk that got roughed up the most, but his injuries were usually energy burns and fractured bones.

"Can't eel a thing." He reminded her. "Thanks, dow." He made to touch the stitched gash with his fingers, but Piper caught his hand in hers.

"Don't touch it." She frowned. "It won't heal. Just get out of here and be lookout."

"Yes, _mom_." He tittered, getting to his feet and left the room.

There was an awkward silence after the hatch closed behind Finn. She found herself unable to meet Aerrow's eyes now that they were alone.

"So, um…" Aerrow finally spoke up. "At least we know never to try _that_ again."

Piper knew right away what he was referring to. "I'm sorry." She bit her lip.

"Don't be." Aerrow smiled. She was staring at her hands, but she knew he was smiling. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

Piper stood up and paced to the other side of the room, her back to him. "I could've really hurt you."

"Nah," He responded. "You don't need to worry about me."

Piper shot him a stern look over her shoulder. "I could've _killed_ you, Aerrow. Just like what happened to Dark Ace. Do you want that?"

She could pick out the exact moment she knew he understood. Aerrow's smile faded and he looked to her with concern in his eyes. "You're not Cyclonis."

Piper sighed and turned away. "I'm not so sure."

"You're not." Aerrow insisted. "You're nothing like her."

It was time he knew. "I've been keeping something from you, Aerrow."

"Piper, I-"

"I can feel her inside my head."

"What?"

"We're connected somehow. Cyclonis knows it too. What if I'm…_evil?_"

Aerrow was quiet for a moment. "Why didn't you say something?"

Piper turned and looked him directly in the eyes. She could feel her eyes glistening with tears. "I didn't want to distract you. With everything going on I-" She wiped her eyes on the back of her glove. When she looked up, her eyes met with a pair of green. Aerrow was standing before her, with difficulty, but he was there all the same.

"Hey-"

"Aerrow, you shouldn't be-"

"It's okay."

"It's not okay. It's never been okay."

Aerrow put his arms around Piper and she cried into his shoulder. She clutched at his armour and ran her hand over the hawk etched on the metal.

Aerrow tilted his head and whispered in her ear. "No more secrets, okay? We're in this together."

Piper nodded and laid an arm over his shoulder, shaking with tears. "_I could've killed you, Aerrow._"

"You didn't." He assured her. "It's fine. I'm okay. You're okay."

The war with Cyclonia was still fresh in their minds. It was hard to believe that it was only hours before, she and Aerrow were out on the landing strip practising using the Binding. Piper had never fully explained what had happened. Cyclonis had somehow contacted her through the power of the Binding. Her daunting words were echoing in her ears.

_"Keep practising. It'll make you strong, help you win and in no time at all, you'll be just like **me**."_

The Dark Ace's last few moments played out in her head, but his image was fading and she could see Aerrow in his place. "I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over, clutching the Sky Knight tightly. She could feel him shaking due to his lack of energy. She could feel his heart beating against her chest.

"Piper," Aerrow started, pulling away to meet her eyes "nothing that happened was your fault. I should have been straight with you."

"Are you okay?" She sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"My ankle's not, but the rest of me is fine."

Piper looked down at his feet. Aerrow was leaning too far over on his left leg. She noticed how his right foot stuck out awkwardly and how he refrained from putting weight on it.

She frowned, taking his arm. "Again?"

"I was tackled by a nightcrawler and fell over fifty feet. What do you expect?" Aerrow clarified as Piper directed him back to where he had been sitting. "Besides, it was my other foot last time."

She assisted him lifting his legs back up over the bed and Aerrow led back into the pillow once again as she removed the armour from his right leg and pulled his boot off, tossing it to one side. She rolled back his trouser leg and what she saw made her inhale between her teeth. Aerrow's ankle was already swollen, inflamed an unpleasant shade of purple where bruising had occurred.

"That doesn't sound promising." He pointed out, running a gloved hand over his forehead. "How long am I going to be stuck here?" This had become routine. Aerrow had been injured so many times; he had given up complaining a long time ago. He would simply request to know how long he'd be out of action and then spend the entirety sulking.

"Two days in here and after that, you're not leaving the Condor for a week."

He gave out a groan that turned into a yawn. "Now I'm wishing we still had Gundstaff's crystal."

"Well," Piper began, pulling his sweaty sock from his foot "a couple of days in bed will do you good." She ran her fingers over the irritated skin in an attempt to figure out exactly where the sprain was located. "Did you even sleep last night? You must be exhausted." She could tell he was already dozing off due to the lack of response. She looked up at him to find he had in fact fallen asleep with his left arm laid over his eyes.

Piper wanted more than anything to let him rest, but there were bigger priories right now. She nudged his thigh to get his attention. "Aerrow, I need you awake for this."

He jerked upright, fleetingly glancing around at his surroundings. "Who - wha - Wusahstatus?"

"Calm down." Piper hushed, putting an arm out to stop him getting to his feet. "You fell asleep."

He looked confused for a moment as he massaged his forehead. "How long was I out?"

"It's only been a few minutes." Piper assured him, inspecting the heel of his foot. "Tell me if you feel anything." She ran her hand over his foot, stopping every so often to prise her fingers around the bridge.

Aerrow gave out a whimper of pain. "Yep, definitely felt something."

"Can you wriggle your toes?"

He did so, but it looked like it hurt judging from his expression.

Piper leant towards the unoccupied bed and snatched up the pillow, placing it beneath Aerrow's foot. "You've held up well for someone who fell over fifty feet."

"Don't I always?" He groaned, suppressing a yawn. He fell back into the pillow again.

"From what I can tell, it's only a light sprain. You'll have to keep off it for two days at the least and maybe get some shut-eye." She instructed, walking over to the window and began rummaging in the cupboard for the icer crystal she had been keeping for just such an occasion.

"Aerrow?" She suddenly spoke up.

"Hm?" The Sky Knight responded.

"I've been meaning to ask – how's the squadron log working out for you? Is it helping?"

He let out a grumble.

"Y'know," Piper began, reaching for the bright blue crystal from behind a can of disinfectant solution "writing down what's bothering you helps keep your mind open to more important things. A good leader needs to be focused."

"It's hasn't been making me feel any different about our situation, if that's what you mean. Logging the day's events does nothing but remind me that I'm falling short."

Piper stood upright and began forming ice on a clean rag with the crystal in her hand. "No one is asking you to do anything more than your best."

"It's not enough." Aerrow argued. "Piper, I barely held up out there, if you didn't notice. I'm afraid I'm going to get you _all_ hurt. It's something I have to live with every day. I have this one chance to get it right and I'm blowing it."

"So, you and Finn got a little banged up, big deal." Piper smirked, tying a knot with the four corners of the rag to conceal the newly formed ice. "There's only one person we trust to lead us and that's you, but it's not your place to feel guilty about every little thing that doesn't go according to plan. Forget what Stork would tell you, there's no way you can prepare for everything."

"That doesn't change a thing, I'm still blowing it."

"You're learning. We're all learning. It's a learning curve. If anyone expected you to venture into a world unknown and know exactly what to do and where to go, that would be silly. I don't need to tell you that."

Aerrow sighed heavily in frustration. "Piper, I don't expect you to understand. I know you're doing your best to find a solution and I appreciate it, but this is something I'm hoping you'll never have to deal with."

"If we just talk about it, I'm sure-"

"No." He cut her off.

"But I-"

"I don't want to discuss it."

"I was honest with you, Aerrow; it's the least you can do!"

"No, Piper. Y-you don't understand. I-it-"

Piper swivelled around and frowned at him. "I can only understand it you _let_ me."

Aerrow buried his face in his hands. She watched him curiously, but it was starting to become clear that he was done talking.

Piper picked up the ice pack and took a seat on the bed next to Aerrow's. "I thought you said we were in this together. I hope you're not keeping anything important from us."

Aerrow ran his fingers down his face. "It's nothing like that. Can we drop the subject?"

She leant forwards and placed the ice on Aerrow's injured ankle. "No more secrets."

"Please, Piper. This is making me uncomfortable."

She rose to her feet. "You think _I_ didn't feel the same way? What do I have to do to get you to open up?"

Aerrow closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not keeping anything from you, I swear. I'm just not keen on talking about my feelings."

Piper gritted her teeth in defeat. "Why can't you be more like Finn? He has no problem expressing himself." She turned and made her way back to the counter to track down a bandage roll.

"That's the last thing I'd expect to hear from you. If memory serves me correctly, you two have been at each other's necks since the day we met."

Piper could sense how Aerrow was slowly getting more and more irritable as the conversation progressed. He was overtired, she knew. Retrieving the roll of dressing, she returned to her former position and stood over the redhead. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Get some rest."

Straightening up, she walked around the bed and knelt at the opposite end to get closer to Aerrow's damaged ankle. She removed the ice and there was not a word from either of the two as Piper began supporting the sprain with the gauze. Her sight kept wavering to his rigid form in an attempt to work out if he had fallen asleep. Aerrow's messy hair had fallen over his eyes, leaving them in shadow, so she could not tell if he was watching her. He was surprisingly quiet and remained in that still position with his arms folded, the only movement came from his steady breathing.

Piper secured the bandage with a tight knot and rested the ice back upon his ankle. She spared Aerrow one last look of curiosity and whispered his name softy. She waited, but there was no response. He was out.

Piper smiled to herself and got to her feet. She watched the leader of the squadron doze for a moment before she turned on her heels and left the room.


	4. Chapter Three

**_Chapter Three_**

A dense pearly mist had risen up over the water and the horizon was hidden from sight. The poor visibility put the team at a disadvantage. It was impossible to see oncoming dangers out to the left side of the ship.

One of Finn's secondary positions was lookout; hawk-eyes like his made him the perfect candidate for the job. Since the start of their voyage of the far side, the Storm Hawks had relied on his judgement more than ever. The lack of navigational instruments left the sharpshooter invaluable when it came to navigating the unknown land. A lot of weight had been thrust onto his shoulders, but not once had he complained about it. He liked the feeling of importance and upon entering the bridge he was quick to assess the situation and set himself up with Stork's x-ray peepers on the left side of the bridge and made sure Junko and Radarr covered the right.

The enhanced binoculars could be configured to see through just about anything. Stork originally created them in the hopes of detecting brain tumours, but none of the merb's gadgets were ever used for what they were originally designed for by the others. It was by no means a perfect view, but if something approached them through the fog, he would detect it for sure.

"That storm's getting closer." He informed the others on the bridge. It had been a short time since he had his lip stitched up and the paralyser stone's effects had worn off. "You think it'll be a good idea to port up somewhere for lunch? I'm starved."

"That's Aerrow's calling." Stork stated bluntly, his gaze not wavering from the sky.

"Actually, it's _my_ calling." A voice came from behind them. Finn quickly glanced over his shoulder to see that Piper had entered the bridge. She had a book in one hand and a dark purple crystal in the other, Finn could not remember what it did. "And no, Finn. We're not going to stop for a picnic right after being ambushed by nightcrawlers."

"How's our Sky Knight?" He asked.

"Comatose." She clarified, plonking the book down on its spine over the round table and allowed it to fall open. "You guys have to make do with me for the next forty eight hours. Aerrow's not going anywhere."

"Whatcha got there?" Junko inquired, watching her move the crystal around in her hands.

"I'm going to try and cloak the Condor." Piper responded, shooting him a nervous smile.

Finn could swear he heard the helmsman squeal with glee at the mention of Piper's goal. Snickering to himself, he gazed back through the peepers. "The _entire_ ship?" He questioned "Are you sure you can manage that?"

"Well, I got us here, didn't I? If I get this right, I can harmonise it with the shields, so the crystal will recharge every time we refuel."

"Um…" Stork cut in. Finn spared him a glance and found the merb lifting a finger. He rolled his eyes and continued scouting the coastline. "I'm pretty sure by doing that you'll halve the efficiency of the shields with both crystals using the same matrix and that can only lead to disaster."

"We do it that way, or we create a new energy output." Piper replied "The second method will keep the Condor grounded for too long. We can't afford the dely."

Stork considered for a moment. "I can reroute the output, but if the shields get knocked out like last time, the cloaking device will still short out."

Finn adjusted the peepers and looked down at a large crack in the land. The water disappeared into the dark chasm and beyond the gorge, the mountains rose up higher than the peepers could identify. They were right at the base of the barrier cliffs. "Hate to break up the important engineering meeting, but I've got something aport, four o'clock."

"What is it?" Piper inquired, hurrying over to where Finn was standing and took the peepers from him.

"Some kind of opening." He explained as she scanned the area outside. "Maybe we should check it out."

"You think all this water leaks through to Terra Aquinos?" Piper mused, lowering the crystal gadget to exchange an inquisitive glance with Finn.

He returned a look of confusion. "What's that got to do with anything?"

A smile crept onto the navigator's face and she thrust the peepers into Finn's chest. "Everything." She established and hurried over to the table, snatching up a blank scroll and a pencil. She beckoned the others over with a wave of a hand. Finn joined her with interest, Junko and Radarr followed. "We're right next to the barrier cliffs now and this entire area is filled up with water."

Finn watched her sketch out a quick diagram of the barrier cliffs and the sea that surrounded them. He had always been impressed with her artistic ability and considering the drawing took her no less than fifteen seconds it was a fairly decent render.

"We already know that the endless caverns we sealed route through to the far side." Piper continued, sketching out a terra on the other side of her drawing of the barrier cliffs. "Terra Aquinos is a huge pocket of water that goes down so deep it is not even charted on our maps."

Piper then drew a long tunnel protruding from the bottom of the terra and continued it until it came out under the barrier cliffs and met up with the water on the other side. Finn leaned in closer for a better look and abandoned the x-ray peepers on the edge of the table. Piper put down the pencil and folded her arms.

Stork swooped behind her from the helm and glanced over her shoulder at the drawing. "If that terra sprung a leak, the entire Atmos would meet a watery doom."

Radarr - who had been perched on the table - let out a confused squawk and tilted his head to one side.

Piper chuckled and nudged the helmsman with an elbow. "Don't be so dramatic. They're called the _endless_ caverns for a reason."

"Yeah, thanks for the geography lesson, Piper." Finn piped up, he scratched his ear feeling somewhat bemused. "I still don't see what this has to do with that opening I found."

Piper just looked at him. Finn glanced at the others and they were all giving him that same arched eyebrow look suggesting he was the only one that did not know what Piper was describing.

The navigator clearly worked out he was getting nowhere after a few moments of silence, because she picked up the pencil and began drawing again. Finn followed the tip of her pencil as she drew the Condor right next to where the tunnel ended.

He met Piper's eyes. He glanced back down at the drawing. He looked at Piper. "Oh." He realised. "Looks like the Finnster discovered the entrance to the endless caverns. Chicka-cha."

The sharpshooter pulled out the pistol fingers. Junko laughed at his enthusiasm, but he was the only one who did so. The others slapped a hand on their faces.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't the only way in." Piper spoke up, regaining her composure and directed her statement to the entire team. "The barrier cliffs could well be an intricate labyrinth of intertwining tunnels." She paused suddenly and glanced out of the window. "_But_, the only entrance we know of from our side is beneath the lake on Terra Aquinos and the water's gotta come out _somewhere_." She pointed out the window at the dark chasm. "_There_."

"Then, we better go in to investigate." Finn repeated.

Piper nodded in agreement. "This is important."

Junko looked hesitant. "I don't know guys, recon without Aerrow? It doesn't sound like a good idea." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's been set on making sure we're all safe. Leaving him behind isn't a good way to repay him."

Radarr chirped in agreement and nodded sternly.

"Well, we can't wait for him to get better." Piper pointed out. "Stork, find a place nearby to tether the ship." She turned to Finn and the others. "The four of us will go in and see what we can find."

Finn's stomach growled. He pulled a face and gazed longingly at the acting team leader. "Food?"

Piper sighed. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Shouldn't someone let Aerrow know where we're going?" Junko suggested, his gaze darting between Piper and the bridge's main entrance as if the leader were to walk in at any moment.

"If he wakes up, I'm sure Stork'll be able to fill him in." Piper responded and her eyes rested on the helmsman. "You _will_ take care of him, right, Stork?" She said sternly, eyeing his slender physique as he waltzed back to his post at the helm.

"_Well_, I need _someone_ to listen to my _Merbian Darkness Poetry_." Stork replied. His four fingered hands gripped around the helm. "He still has yet to hear the final verse of _Darkness, Total Darkness, Purest Black_."

"Like _that's_ going to happen." Finn snorted. "Hey, Junko?" He asked, turning to the wallop beside him. "Can I ride with you? My skimmer _kinda sorta_ got trashed."

Much to his annoyance, Piper was the one who responded. "What about your spare?"

"It isn't ready." Finn replied shortly. "Aerrow and Stork are still messing with the engine."

"Need I remind you that the Nimbus Seven needs a lot of attention to make sure it functions correctly?" Stork interjected, "Unless you _want_ to die."

Finn crossed his arms. "I wasn't complaining!" He assured him. "Take all the time you need."

"No worries, Finn, you can ride with me." Junko grinned, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can fix your ride up, no problem! It'll be back in the sky again by tomorrow, no sweat!"

"Now that we've sorted _that_ out." Piper said, drawing the attention of both Finn and Junko. Radarr was also staring at the two with a look of dominance. "You guys go get ready. Radarr and I will gather up the essentials."

"Which hopefully includes sandwiches." Fin added.

Junko nodded in agreement. "Extra cheese, please!"

"Make mine a chicken salad with cheese and barbeque sauce." Finn requested, lifting a finger. "Hold the salad."

Piper raised her eyebrows at him, not saying a word, but Finn knew what she was thinking.

He exchanged knowing glances with Junko before continuing. "I eat too much junk food. We had fried eggs this morning. Chicken salad is exactly what I need right now."

Stork cleared his throat. "You're an idiot."

"_Go!_" Piper urged, waving her hands at them as if she were conducting an orchestra.

"Okay, okay!" Finn assured her, holding his palms out before him.

"We're going!" Junko added and the pair slipped out of the bridge.

It was not until a few minutes later when he and Junko were waiting in the hangar did Finn speak again. He was slumped against his trashed skimmer, watching Junko adjust the wing mechanics of his own ride. "Don't you just hate it when Piper's in charge? She sucks the fun out of everything. Remind me to wallop Aerrow for taking the day off."

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Junko responded, tossing the wrench back in the toolbox.

Finn ran a hand over his hair. "I'm still gonna wallop him." He retrieved his crossbow from his skimmer's seat and lazily pretended to shoot. He observed the hatch opening through the viewfinder and Piper lowered her eyebrows at him as she entered, her maroon and grey rucksack slung over one shoulder. Radarr was following close behind.

"Finn, quit playing around, we've got work to do."

His mouth hung open in disbelief. He turned to Junko and gestured at her with the end of his crossbow. Junko had to have his back, she was being extremely unfair. His request for support had been ignored, however and Finn sheathed his crossbow in defeat.

"How do we know this place is safe?" The wallop inquired.

Piper strode over to her heliscooter and placed her rucksack on the seat. She pulled out a sandwich wrapped in a paper towel and threw it at Finn's face. "We don't."

Finn expertly caught his lunch inches from the end of his nose. "Chicka-cha."

She reached into the bag once again and handed Junko his sandwich. "Make sure you stay on guard."

Finn unwrapped his lunch and he bit into it hungrily. His mouth full of bread and barbeque sauce, he watched Piper handing out earpieces. "'You sure we should be doing this?" He asked her, when she had reached him. He swallowed. "'Cause I'm having second thoughts." He took the earpiece from her and shoved it into his ear.

Piper's harsh gaze softened and she smiled at him. "We're not going to get anywhere if we hide in the Condor. It's going to take a while before we can find our feet over here."

Finn arched an eyebrow. "No kidding. I'd feel a lot better if we were all here. No offence, Piper."

She nodded meekly and let out a sigh. "Me too."

Having downed his lunch, Junko kicked up the stand on his sky ride. He got into position at the controls and the sharpshooter clambered onto the storage compartment on the back of the seat.

He took another great bite out of his sandwich with his legs hanging over the side of the vehicle, his gaze following Piper as she mounted her heliscooter. "Wanna take front?" He asked, resting his left elbow on his knee as he tilted his head towards the concealed landing strip.

Piper furrowed her eyebrows and revved the engine to life. "Stork, lower the hatch."

The hangar's huge door gave a loud rumble and slowly lowered. The sea below crashed against the rocks and a cold harsh wind rushed past them and tickled Finn's ears. The sky had darkened somewhat since their last pursuit. Thunder rumbled somewhere afar. There was roughly four hours remaining before the storm hit. He stuffed the rest of his lunch, brushed the crumbs from his gloves and screwed up the serviette. He tossed the crumpled ball into the corner of the hanger.

"Let's do this." Piper grinned, taking the lead. Radarr gave two thumbs up as they passed by, chirped enthusiastically and snapped on his flight goggles.

Finn clutched the back of the skimmer as Junko followed after her. The two sky rides transformed into their respective flight modes at the edge of the runway and disappeared into the mist.

It was a short descent to the opening in the barrier cliffs and Finn hopped off onto the edge of the cliffside before the wings of the skimmer even folded back into the body. He pulled out his crossbow and hurried over to the cave to guard the entrance. It was dark inside, but with keen eyes like his he was still able to make out a long distance into the depths. The sea had been diverted into a narrow stream that ran to the left of the cliffs and vanished into the darkness.

Piper placed a hand on his shoulder to apprise him of their presence.

"It looks like we're alone." Finn informed the others. The only sound that could be heard was the running water echoing around the cave walls.

"You better go first." Piper whispered in his ear. She gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Cool with me." Finn replied, taking the first step into the darkness. He reached for the right side of his crossbow and flicked on the crystal flare torch to light their way with emerald light. The cavern was sloping downhill, so it made it more difficult for him to see through the viewfinder.

Piper was rummaging in the rucksack over her shoulder. She pulled out a flashlight and handed it to Junko to leave her hands free.

The rocks beneath their feet became less dense with every step they took until their shoes sunk in the sand. Finn held out his left arm and stopped the group suddenly. Something ahead had caught his eye.

"Finn, what is it?" Piper whispered cautiously, her hands were clutched tightly to his forearm.

He directed the green light from his crossbow at their feet. There were three trails of footprints leading through the cavern. Two of the trails were the same size and shape and looked extremely fresh, leading opposite ways. The most distorted and shallow of the imprints – which had clearly been there the longest – remained undisturbed. This particular trail looked to be leaving the cavern.

"Stork, it looks like we're not the first that's been here." Piper frowned. "Footprints."

"_Nightcrawler? Dragon? Phoenix? Flesh eating seaweed monster?"_

"None of the above." Piper informed. "Human. They're all human."

Radarr went down on all fours and started sniffing at the sand. He growled starkly and arched his back.

"What is it, buddy?" Junko inquired, crouching beside him.

Radarr whined and pointed to the oldest set of footprints.

"Where's the set going in?" Piper mused. Finn and Junko turned their attention to her. "They're only leading one way."

"They could have faded away." Junko suggested. "They look like they've been there awhile."

"Radarr, is the scent still there?" Finn requested.

The furry creature straightened up and shook his head.

"Then it was a one way trip." He concluded.

"_A one way trip from Terra Aquinos."_ Stork added, most likely with a twitch in his left eye.

"It can't be." Piper murmured. Finn could feel her grip around his arm tighten.

"What about these?" He asked, swiftly changing the subject. He shone the flare torch over the most recent pair. They looked a lot smaller than the former. There was no doubt they belonged to a completely different person.

Piper crouched and inspected them. "Hmm," She pondered, gesturing in the air above the closest print with her fingers. "They're pretty thin. The shape of the sole suggests that they could be female. Tracking isn't my strong point, so I can't be sure."

"They look kinda similar to yours." Finn pointed out. "The shape, I mean. It looks like this girl has some kind of spikey things in her shoes."

"Cleats," Piper nodded in agreement, "for mountain climbing, no doubt." She stood upright.

"I don't think Cyclonis had those." Finn deliberated. "She doesn't seem like the mountain climbing type, let's be honest."

"There wouldn't be any cavern _left_ if it was _her_." Piper said in obvious distaste.

"Whoever they are, they're all alone." Junko cogitated, his ears lowering.

Radarr pined. The pair gazed sadly at each other for a moment before the acting team leader took a confident step forwards.

"These footprints are preserved pretty well." She addressed the entire team, her voice now surpassing a whisper. "It means this place rarely gets visitors." Piper took a few strides ahead of the others, out of the range of the crossbow's light. "It should be safe to investigate." Her voice was echoing around the shadowy cave. "C'mon!"

Piper may seem to have the idea this place was secure, but Finn wasn't taking any chances. He continued to scour the path with his weapon raised.

A few meters ahead, Piper had attached a burner crystal to the end of her staff and was holding it up for light. Its burning radiance was as if it belonged to a flaming torch and bathed the damp cave walls in a warm orange glow.

The four Storm Hawks proceeded downward until the sound of the wind and waves crashing against the cliffs out in the open was replaced with running water. The sandy slope had many twists and turns as the passageway grew wider.

Piper's leading pace began to slow and it allowed Finn to take front. It was not until he had passed her did he find out what she was up to.

"Stork, do you still read?"

"_Well, I would read a lot more if weren't for the fact that the merbian carrier pigeons that deliver my tombs have no hope of reaching the far side of Atmos without meeting their demise." _His lazy reply droned as the four continued onwards.

Finn and Junko smirked under their breaths. Piper shot them a cold look, her index finger planted firmly to her ear.

"Great, you can still hear us." She confirmed, following behind the group. "The cavern goes down pretty far; we might drop out of radio range."

"_Shall I assume you've been eaten?"_

"Thanks for the encouragement, Stork," Finn responded, "especially considering my track record."

He pointed his crossbow's light away from the roof of the tunnel and towards the darkness ahead. The ground beneath their feet began to level out and the water lapped at the sand around them. A ray of light leaked in through a large crack in the rocks high above, illuminating the cave walls and their moist surfaces sparkled in the sunlight. They were standing at the foot of a tall intersection of cave tunnels. To their right, the rocks split into three openings that towered above them.

Finn and Junko held their torches high to examine the great breadth of the dominating fissures. The torch lights were lost in the darkness long before they found the peak.

Finn let out a low whistle. "Now _that's_ high."

"This must be the entrance to the endless caverns." Piper theorised, reaching into her bag once more and pulled out a crystal flare, similar to the one Finn was using. She twisted the end sharply and it burst to life, glimmering with a cerulean light. She threw it out over the water where it splashed down into the shallow depths, illuminating the seabed in a shimmering florescent glow. The water's surface was irradiated over the cavern walls, lighting the darkness surrounding them.

Finn squinted in the dim light and made out another dark passageway deep below the water. Judging from the direction the footprints were heading, the owner had clearly arisen through here. His attention was then drawn to the sound of Radarr digging in the sand at their feet.

A glint of something below the surface caught his eye and upon closer inspection, he realised it belonged to their insignia. He knelt and excavated the artefact out of the sand. His fingers closed around something big and bulky and with a great tug, he pulled out an empty air tank. "I called it." He smirked.

"Domiwick." Piper uttered, as if the disgraced explorer's name was a curse. "I can't believe he actually made it! There's no way he would have been able to get through the caverns without knowledge of their passageways. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing."

Finn threw the empty tank into the sand. "How?" He frowned, getting to his feet. "How is it a lowlife like _Domiwick_ can get intel on the far side of Atmos when we're stuck flying blind, picking up the pieces?"

Piper stared at the sand. "I don't know." She glowered, turning her back to the group. "Look, we better take the evidence back to the ship."

A hostile laugh echoed around the cave. Finn leapt to attention and started scanning for a target. This would have been an easier task if his crossbow's flare torch had not died out moments before.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Aw, _come on!_" He whined. "Didn't we just ditch these losers?"

The four Storm Hawks were back-to-back. Bright indigo eyes glared at them from all directions. They were trapped.

"Good thing I came prepared." Piper smirked, raising her burner powered staff above her head. "Boys, shut your eyes!"

The bright glow did nothing.

"Uh, weren't they supposed to run away?" Junko gulped, lighting his knuckle busters as their pursuers closed in.

"Upgraded nightcrawlers." Piper mouthed. "Gunk, I didn't plan on that."

"Piper, what do we do?" Finn demanded. "I don't have many shots left."

"Stork, come in!"

No answer.

"It looks like we're on our own." She grimaced. "Let us go and no one gets hurt!"

"_That's_ your plan?" Finn sneered.

"I'm afraid, we cannot do that." The nightcrawler responded, taking a step forwards into the blue light of the crystal flare. "We have orders that see you taken care of." Its taloned finger was pointing directly at Piper.

Finn's sight wavered between Piper and the nightcrawlers. He was certain she was planning something. He had seen that determined look upon her face more times than he could count.

"Wait!" Piper shouted as the clan advanced. "We know where the helix stone is."

"We d-" Finn felt a sharp pain in his left foot. "OW!"

The nightcrawler lurched forward, grabbed Piper by the hair and pulled her into its grasp. She yelled out in pain and her cry rung out around the cave.

Finn and Junko raised their weapons higher, terrified to make a move.

"You lie." The nightcrawler spat. "The stone does not yet exist. You cannot fool us with your games, child." It threw her into the sand and made to punch her across the jaw, but Finn stepped in the way and took it to his flank.

This was a bad move. He fell to one knee and clutched his throbbing side, coughing between his breaths. "Nice try, Piper."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke under her breath. "You didn't have to do that."

"No," he coughed, "I needed to."

Radarr snarled and shielded the two from harm while Junko stepped forwards.

"Don't hurt my friends." He demanded.

"Surrender, wallop, you do not stand a chance against us all."

A flash of light materialised out of the darkness. It was not until the source was grounded and skidding across the sand, did Finn realise it belonged to the burning tail light of a skimmer.

"Maybe not alone." An all-too-familiar voice called out. A voice the four Storm Hawks smiled brightly to hear.

A wiry figure landed beside Junko, blades flaming furiously, narrowed eyes eager and ready for a fight. "It's time we evened the odds."


	5. Chapter Four

**_Chapter Four_**

"Storm Hawks," the redhead shouted, his voice echoing around the cave walls as he crouched low before the defending wallop, "prepare for battle!"

Finn sprung to his feet and took position beside Junko, brandishing his crossbow fiercely. Piper dropped the rucksack from her shoulders, twisted her staff around her back and produced a crystal in her free hand. An aura of bright blue materialised around her form and she skilfully levitated off the ground behind the others. Radarr leapt up onto the leader's shoulder briefly to brush his cheek against his before standing beside him, hissing savagely at the enemy.

The last time Junko had laid eyes on the squadron's Sky Knight, he was passed out in the locked arms of his teammates. He knew he was still hurting, but he could not tell by the sight of him. His stance was bold and strong. If this had not been such a serious situation, he would have picked up his friend and hugged him tightly for remaining as steadfast as ever.

The crystal in Piper's hand was thrust out towards the lake of seawater and in one quick, fluent motion a dense cloud of mist rose out of the water and surrounded the team, hiding them from the sight of the ambush.

Radarr must have realised this battle was far beyond his means, for he yelped in fright and took cover as the first weapon was brought in for the attack. It was an energy blade. Its powerful azure glow hissed in the watery air and crashed down against the armour of the leading nightcrawler, the second of the pair met its mark moments after. The visibility was low and it left them no chance to retaliate. The blades' hot glow melted into the armour. The nightcrawler fought back by striking low with a swift kick. Aerrow dodged out of the way. As he skidded across the sand, his leg buckled and he fell on one knee. He gritted his teeth, in either pain or determination and sprung back into the fray.

Elsewhere in the haze, Finn shot blue energy bolts at the advancing clan and bolts of scarlet rocketed back in return. The incoming fire never made their targets, for Piper blocked each one with a flick of a hand, redirecting them back the way they came.

There must have been at least forty dark hooded fiends attacking the team instantaneously. Junko and Aerrow fought back-to-back. Junko's powerful punches took out many of the enemy at once. Aerrow on the other hand, was finding it difficult to build up momentum. His strikes were undeniably strong, but lacked the footwork needed to pull off his more powerful manoeuvres.

"Junko," Aerrow called out as they started to become overwhelmed, "sure could use a hand here!"

The wallop cut off the energy to his left buster and held out his hand. Aerrow hastily crammed the handle of his right blade between his teeth and grabbed his outstretched hand. Junko whirled the Sky Knight around in a complete circle and his outstretched blade took down their attackers in one quick swipe.

The pair quickly righted themselves and Aerrow landed back in position, left foot forwards. He retrieved his blade just in time to block an incoming attack from the claws of a nightcrawler and then fell back on his hands and kicked his challenger in the face with his leading foot. He swivelled into a crouching stance and narrowly avoided getting his head sliced off by sharp talons.

Junko charged his fist into Aerrow's attacker and sent them flying. He was already locked in a struggle with a nightcrawler whose wrist mounted crossbow doubled as a collapsible sword. He led on his back, blocking the sword between his crossed blades, edging it away from his throat. He somehow managed to shunt the blade away and flip himself to his feet.

Junko remembered Finn telling him about the reality of Aerrow's condition. His gaze kept slipping away from the battle to check on him, but, as always, it was impossible to tell how he was feeling – at least for him, it was. Piper was usually the one to notice when something was wrong, but lately even she could not seem to read him right.

All he wanted was for things to go back to the way they were; the time when they could all be happy and every one of their smiles were genuine. He did not know if the huge weight he was feeling was a sign of maturity, or that the situation had grown a whole lot more desperate despite winning the war. He always felt uneasy venturing into new situations. The far side of Atmos was about as new as it could get and he was not ashamed to admit it scared him.

A mass of still bodies had formed up around Aerrow. He held his blades up to shield his face. He was shaking. His breath was laboured. His energy was spent.

"Aerrow?" Junko called out to him, his voice quavering with concern.

His gaze travelled to the wallop. "I'm okay." he said brashly, sheathing his right blade behind his back. He shook himself alert, held up his scorched gloved hand, put his bare fingers to his lips and whistled.

The engine of Aerrow's skimmer roared to life and the motorbike crashed through the army of nightcrawlers with Radarr at the controls. Wasting no time, Aerrow mounted the ride and his co-pilot clambered up onto his shoulders. "We're getting out of here." he grunted, swiping out his blade and a powerful ripple of blue energy knocked back the attackers. "All of us." he continued to rev the skimmer's engine impatiently as Junko clambered on behind him.

The wheels span furiously, hurtling sand through the air in all directions and the skimmer rocketed towards the others. As they sped by Finn, Aerrow grabbed the sharpshooter's forearm and with one mighty one-armed heave, he tossed him up over the skimmer and onto the secondary cockpit usually occupied by Radarr.

Aerrow swerved the skimmer on the spot, creating a tidal wave of sand in their wake and shot back in the opposite direction. "Piper, let's go!"

The crystal mage scooped up her dropped rucksack and swooped up high. She deactivated her aura and landed on the back of the skimmer. "Would now be a good time to ask what you're doing here?" she yelled at Aerrow over Junko's shoulder.

"I think it's pretty clear _what I'm doing here!_" Aerrow shouted back over the slipstream. "You're welcome, by the way!"

"Uh, guys," Finn interrupted, "we got company!"

Junko and the others glanced over the back of the skimmer where the nightcrawlers clawed their way along the cave walls in pursuit. Red flares of energy shot their way.

"We need to get airborne!" Aerrow realised, ducking under a low blast of fire.

"Then, deploy the wings, genius!" Finn insisted, swivelling in his seat and took aim with his crossbow. "You can fly us out, no problem!"

"I can't do that in here!" Aerrow shot back, "There's too many of us!"

"You gotta at least try!" Junko urged.

"I have better idea." he assured, "I just need a moment to focus."

Junko looked out into the dark abyss ahead. The energy blade Aerrow was holding up for light barely illuminated any more than a few feet ahead. It seemed impossible to navigate the twisting cave at such a high speed, but somehow Aerrow was pulling it off. He leaned in towards the frame of the skimmer and skidded around a sharp turn Junko had no idea was coming. Radarr clung to Aerrow's neck for dear life.

"Finn," Aerrow demanded, not straying his eyes from the darkness, "how you doing on ammo?"

"Not good."

"Then, hold your fire. We need to time this just right."

This was how Aerrow's plans worked out. The Storm Hawks had learned by now not to question his judgement. It would sometimes help they actually knew what the plan was before he struck it into motion, but lately, they had become rather skilled at flying blind.

"I only have one bolt left!" Finn informed the leader.

"One is all we'll need," Aerrow said coolly, flicking his gaze to the panicked sharpshooter, "trust me."

Junko could not see how one energy bolt was enough to take care of an entire clan of nightcrawlers and neither did Finn going by the look on his face, but neither he nor Junko said a word against him.

There was the sound of a struggle from behind them. Junko turned his head to see Piper battling with a nightcrawler as she remained crouched on the back of the skimmer. She brought up her staff and whacked it hard across the back of the head, freeing herself. "Communication's still down." she briskly reported. "The nightcrawlers must have jammed the signal."

A light could be seen materialising in the blackness. The cave entrance was approaching fast. Aerrow shot another look over his shoulder, this time at the crystal mage. "Piper, toss up the burner!"

"Aerrow, the nightcrawlers aren't-"

"I know! Just do it!"

Groaning to herself, she yanked the crystal out of the end of her staff and threw it out into the darkness.

"Finn, you're up!" Aerrow ordered, returning his gaze to the path ahead.

The sharpshooter brought up the crossbow in front his face and let loose his last energy bolt at the burning crystal.

When the shimmers of blue and orange collided, a huge dusty explosion rumbled the cave walls. Aerrow accelerated as rocks came plummeting down from the ceiling around them. Hot flames licked the back wheel of the skimmer and the cavern fell in on itself their wake.

The light at the end of the tunnel was closer now. Sixty feet. Fifty feet. Forty feet. A huge boulder began falling over the cave entrance. Thirty feet. The bright light protruding from the outside world became narrower. Twenty feet. Their only chance of escaping was slipping away. Ten feet. Aerrow yanked the speeding skimmer into a sharp skid that forced the left wing into the ground, sending up sparks.

The vehicle trundled out into the open, jostling all who were on it onto the cliffside. A horrendous rumbling accompanied their exit, almost deafening to large wallop ears. They covered their heads as a cloud of thick rubble chocked the air.

Once the dust settled, Piper was the first to recover. "That was really dangerous." she said fearfully, staggering to her feet and began dusting herself off. She looked mostly unharmed aside from the scrape marks on her elbows. "Is everyone okay?"

Radarr's fist shot out of a pile of rubble and he supported thumbs up before digging himself out and shaking dust from his fur.

"I'm good." Junko replied shortly. He helped Finn to his feet, who was coughing into the back of his hand.

"Me too." he added, brushing earth out of his blond hair.

Their gazes fell on the leader's motionless form sprawled on his side next to his battered skimmer.

A stunned silence lingered about the team. The dusty hawk on Aerrow's back glinted in the falling sun. His unlit blade still held tightly in his left hand. They came to their senses and scurried over to him at once.

"Is he…?" Junko blurted out, barely knowing how he was going to end that sentence.

Piper got to her knees beside him and shakily placed a hand on his shoulder. "Aerrow?"

He did not move. Radarr pushed his head under his limp right hand, but still no response. Piper removed his sheathed blade and pulled the Sky Knight onto his back. The gash on his forehead was instantly visible through his parted red hair. It did not take a genius to figure out that he had collided with the windshield.

Piper placed her ear near his airway and assessed the situation. "He's breathing." she stated, straightening up.

Junko let out a breath he did not know he was holding. "He's going to be okay, right?"

Finn snorted and folded his arms. "As long as he keeps playing the hero, he's never going to be 'okay'."

"He should be fine." Piper put in sternly. She examined his wound more closely. It did not look that serious and this was awfully lucky, considering how fast he had been driving.

"You don't know that." Finn pointed out. "Look, we gotta move. We can't stay here. Aerrow bought us some time, but once they clear out those rocks, they'll be on our tail again."

"I'm aware," Piper assured him, getting to her feet, "but I'd rather not move Aerrow until he wakes up."

"He wouldn't want that." Finn argued. "Besides, we don't know how long that'll take."

There was an odd prickling working its way down Junko's spine at the thought of being so close to those who were pursuing them. "Finn's right, Piper." he contributed, "It's not safe."

"Something could be seriously wrong." she stated, "If we move him, we'll only make it worse."

"Better worse than _dead_." Finn snarled. "If we stay here, all Aerrow did will be for nothing."

Piper held up her hands in defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just really nervous, okay? The burden Aerrow has is huge and I don't think I have the skills to take his place." She turned away from the others and glanced down at their Sky Knight. "If he hadn't showed up back there, I don't know what would have happened."

"Stop." Finn insisted shortly, "Just, cut it out." he waved his hand in a dismissing fashion. "You and your crazy calculations are the best we got, alright? I won't have you downing yourself like that." he crossed his arms and squinted at her with what he obviously thought was a look of authority. He shot his next look at Junko and Radarr and they mimicked his actions. "The squadron agrees."

Piper's worried frown softened into a look of confidence. "Okay." she acknowledged. "Junko, you take Aerrow. Finn, grab his skimmer. Radarr, you're with me. Rendezvous in the bridge. We have a lot to discuss."


End file.
